Ovacome is focused on providing support to anyone affected by ovarian cancer. This includes those diagnosed with the disease, their friends and family members and healthcare professionals working in the diagnosis, treatment and support of people affected by the disease. We also support those at increased risk of the disease. We work with our community and partner organisations with the aim of reducing isolation, sharing information and promoting knowledge about the disease.. We acknowledge that some people face barriers to accessing diagnosis, treatment, and support, and we are working towards reducing barriers faced by underserved people and communities
At Ovacome we recognise diversity in the broadest sense, and our areas of focus for providing targeted support includes those who may be facing barriers due to:
- Race
- Ethnicity
- Culture
- Religion
- Age
- Sexual orientation
- Gender identification and expression
- Disabilities
- Digital Exclusion
- Rural Isolation
- Being treated in a centre where there is little specific OC expertise
- Low Income
We are committed to cultivating an environment that is safe, supportive and considerate for everyone and ensures that every person in contact with Ovacome is acknowledged as an individual and is treated equally with respect, kindness and understanding
Our commitments:
- To continue to improve our understanding of the barriers to accessing ovarian cancer diagnosis, treatment, and support..
- Address the barriers in accessing diagnosis, treatment, and support, including improving access to our own services.
- Ensure that our services are responding to people’s individual needs in a way that is relevant, meaningful, and supportive to them and their circumstances.
- Our work will be informed by and coproduced with people with lived experience where their needs and rights are our main concern.
- We will continue to work towards making our resources more accessible and inclusive.
- We will take steps to improve our representation across the team, our volunteers, our trustees and our expert advisory panel to reflect the diverse community we serve.
We aim to accomplish this by:
- Ensuring that all members of the Ovacome team are committed to addressing health inequalities.
- Providing our staff with comprehensive training so they can support a diverse range of people.
- By encouraging openness and allowing staff to reflect and unlearn any unconscious bias in a non-judgemental environment.
- Creating new projects and work with the specific aim of communicating and engaging with underrepresented and marginalised communities to include their experiences and voices in our services, campaigns and mission.
- Providing education among the clinical community around the diversity of patient experience in ovarian cancer care and, the importance of having the right type of care.
- Making sure people that are diagnosed with ovarian cancer are informed of clinical trials regardless of their background.
- Partnering with people, organisations, and community groups to broaden our understanding of the specific needs of different communities and collaborate to ensure these are met.
- Working on a nation-wide health inequality focused campaign to address the barriers faced by underrepresented and marginalised groups.
This statement is aimed to indicate our commitment to creating a safe, inclusive and accessible environment for everyone affected by ovarian cancer. We will use our experience from these steps outlined above to continue to take action to become a more inclusive community. This is essential to achieving a high standard of cancer support, research, and education for all.
